A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) is a micromachined device that includes mechanical structures that are controlled electronically. MEMS devices can be such things as optical switching devices, accelerometers, and gyroscopes. In order to increase functionality of MEMS devices, it is desirable to integrate MEMS devices with integrated circuits (ICs) in a single chip. Such a chip is often referred to as an integrated MEMS.
Integrated MEMS devices are typically fabricated in a planar fashion on one side of a wafer substrate. Mechanical and electronic structures can be formed on the wafer in any of a variety of ways, including etching into the wafer and depositing materials onto the wafer. Because the mechanical and electronic structures are formed in a single plane with structures adjacent to one another, the integrated MEMS device can encompass a relatively large chip area. Also, because the mechanical and electronic structures are formed on a single wafer, the various processes used to form the mechanical and electronic structures must be compatible with one another (i.e., a particular process should not cause damage to structures formed by earlier processes).